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Tuscany Page 4

Continued from

As wonderful as the floor is, there is much more to the Duomo di Siena than just the floor. A couple aspects that grab the eye quickly are the stained glass windows, and the architecture of the building itself. In this next picture, we are looking back towards the main entrance. The stained glass window is Pastorino de' Pastorini's 'Last supper'. Immediately below that is a railing with some cut-outs. That is the path we walked back on during the attic tour. Below that are busts. Around the cathedral are the busts of the first 172 Popes. However, our guide told us that they only had around 20 (sorry, we can't remember the exact number) of molds, so the faces repeat periodically.

Entrance wall of the Duomo di Siena

Video version of the scene above (21 seconds)

link to video of Siena Duomo entrance

One of the famous statues in the Duomo is 'Saint Paul' by Michelangelo. There are 3 other Michelangelo sculptures close to this one.

Saint Paul by Michelangelo

You can see another famous sculpture in this next video, Donatello's St. John the Baptist. You can also see our tour guide. (20 seconds)

link to video of Michelangelo St Paul

The pulpit is jaw-droppingly intricate. Our guide told us it took 5 artists working for 3 years (finished in 1268) to make it. It is actually amazing that they completed it that quickly.

The Pulpit in Duomo di Siena

In case you want more, here is a video of the pulpit. (62 seconds)

link to video of Siena Duomo pulpit

The choir chairs featured a favorite technique for Anne, wood intarsia. These lovely chairs were originally made for a different location, but moved here when there was fear of Bonaparte confiscating them.

Intarsia choir chairs in the Duomo di Siena

Off the main section of the Duomo is room that is titled 'Libreria Piccolomini ... gli affreschi del Pinturicchio, le idee di Raffaello' which is Piccolomini Library ... the frescoes by Pinturicchio, the ideas of Raphael. The walls of this room are covered with huge fresco paintings where Pinturicchio illustrates ten episodes from the life of Pope Pius II. This picture is of one of the panels:

One of the panels in the Piccolomini Library

Now to get an idea of the size of these paintings, this next photo shows some of the people that were in the room. Pope Pius III commissioned this room, in honor of Pope Pius II, which is why III's name is at the top. 

Libreria Piccolomini

Around the walls of the library (which is what libreria means) are the books. These books are huge illuminated manuscripts (that is what these richly decorated hand-written books are called). Here is Francesco next to the books, taking in the scene.

Francesco in the Duomo library

As we leave the main section of the Duomo, we will give you a view of the beautiful dome interior.

Interior of the dome inside the Duomo di Siena

We also went to the Crypt and the Baptistry. The crypt was very interesting. The area has gone through many changes, none of which was being an actual crypt for burials. But as a result of these changes, some of the old wall paintings are partially covered by architectural elements. The area was actually forgotten about for hundreds of years. It was only rediscovered in 1999! In this following video, you can see where some of the arches were built right on top of old frescos. (46 seconds)

link to video of Siena Duomo crypt

Proof we were at the Baptistry:

Paul and Anne in the Baptistry of the Duomo di Siena

Although most of our time in Siena was centered around the Duomo, we did walk around the city a bit. It would be easy to spend more time in this city! Earlier, we mentioned Piazza del Campo.

Going into Piazza del Campo

You can see the dark border around the plaza.

Piazzo del Campo

There is, believe it or not, a horse race that is held in this square! It is actually held twice a year. The black border is covered in a thick layer sand, and the riders are bareback. Spectators gather in the center and on the very edges of the plaza to watch. Each rider represents one of the sections of Siena.

After visiting the Duomo, our recommendation to you is: go! Go to Siena, and make certain you take a tour or two of the cathedral. The tour is totally worth it. If you can, time your visit to one of the periods where the entire floor is open for viewing.

 

After leaving Siena, Doni suggested that we return back to Fano via Florence (map point 30). This was agreeable to us, since Paul was interested in seeing the famous Ponte Vecchio. This bridge has shops, in actual little buildings, along both sides of it. The bridge has been destroyed a few times over the centuries by floods. The current version dates from the 1300s, although some additional shops were added in the 1600s. In the evening, it makes a very pretty sight.

Ponte Vecchio in Florence Italy

Closer up:

Ponte Vecchio in Florence Italy

 

Video link of the bridge (66 seconds)

link to video of Florence Ponte Vecchio

Second video highlighting the reflections (24 seconds) - you can hear Anne laughing in the background.

link to video of Florence Ponte Vecchio reflections

 

Doni and Francesco:

Doni and Francesco in Florence

Anne and Paul.

Anne and Paul in Florence

There is of course much more to Florence than just the bridge. Since it was evening, we did not have the opportunity to visit any of the museums. We did enjoy walking around the city some before having supper. There were many statues enjoying the evening air with us.

Statue display in Florence

 

A status in Florence Italy

Here is a link to a video taken in the Palazzo Vecchio (where these statues were). You can here Francesco explaining some of the building to Anne. (49 seconds)

link to video of Florence Statues

Padlocks on the bridge ("Padlocks of Love") are illegal; it is felt that they aren't good for the ironwork and are unattractive. This does not seem to slow down their installation much, based on what we saw.

Bust on the Ponte Vecchio

This picture links to a video that Paul took on the bridge. (48 seconds)

link to video of Florence Ponte Vecchio

You will see Anne at the very beginning of the video. She is wearing stretch pants. She started the day wearing a long skirt. However, we at times had rain pouring down on us, and by the time we were leaving Siena the skirt was totally wet. Luckily, she had the stretch pants under the skirt.

As is common in these old cities, many of the streets are very narrow.

Streets in Florence

We arrived back in Fano happy to have had such a wonderful experience (and this was our first weekend in Italy)!

 

Updated July 2020